Playing Miniature Golf It was a sunny Saturday afternoon. My friend was taking his two little boys to play miniature golf. He walked up to the fellow at the ticket counter and said, "How much is it to get in?"
The young man replied, "$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. We let them in free if they are six or younger. How old are they?" My friend replied, "The one is three and the other is seven, so I guess I owe you $6.00." The man at the ticket counter said, "Hey, Mister, did you just win the lottery or something? You could have saved yourself three bucks. You could have told me that the older one was six; I wouldn't have known the difference." My friend replied, "Yes, that may be true, but the kids would have known the difference." In challenging times when ethics are more important than ever before, make sure we set a good example for everyone we work and live with,especially our young eyes and ears. Author: P.F. Adapted and Edited by AL-Islaah Publications **************************** On the authority of Abdullah ibn 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said: "Four traits whoever possesses them is a hypocrite and whoever possesses some of them has an element of hypocrisy until he leaves it: the one who when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his promise, when he disputes he transgresses and when he makes an agreement he violates it. [Muslim and Bukhari] Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Whoever says to a child, 'Come here and take this,' then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.'" [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991] Courtesy: AL-ISLAAH PUBLICATIONS ========================================================================================================= One for my Sister The hospital I worked in during my stay in Swaziland sits atop the beautiful and very steep Lebombo Mountains. In this part of the world people often have to walk 40 kilometers or more in order to see a doctor. As you can imagine there are many people in the community who are simply too sick or too poor to get to a hospital. This is where home-based care comes in. The home-based care team consists of several nurses who jump into a small truck/van every morning and travel out to the community to tend to the health needs of the truly destitute. Before I went out with the team I used to buy potato es and carrots and apples to give to the people we met - because health care in Africa is often just as much about the provision of food as it is about medicine. I would always make sure I also bought a bag of sweets to give to the beautiful children we would meet out in the community. I have learned that sweets are one of the great unifiers in the human world - we might look different and speak different languages - but most of us - especially the young ones - love sweets! One day we stopped at one of the 15,000 orphan-led households in Swaziland. Inside the hut we found a beautiful little girl with huge brown eyes. Her name was Tanzile. I gave her a sweet from my bag and she said something back to me in Si-swati, the native language, which the nurse next to me translated: "She wants another one doctor - to give to her li ttle sister." I said "of course" and gave her another. After we had tended to a man with tuberculosis a bit further down the road, we passed by Tanzile's house to say goodbye. To our surprise she seemed to be holding on to that extra sweet I had given her. I remember saying to the nurse "this little darling is clever - she has taken two for herself. If I was her I'd probably have asked for the whole bag!" But after the nurse had asked her some more questions this is what we learned: Tanzile is 7 now. Two years ago when she was five her mum and dad both died of HIV/AIDS like so many have in this country. At the time of her parents tragic death, she was separated from her baby sister who was three at the time. Tanzile has not laid eyes on her since. But ever since that time, whenever Tanzile receives anything from anyone, including food, - she refuses to accept it, unless they give her two. Two carrots, tw o toys, two sweets - one for her and one for her baby sister (who in all likelihood didn't survive.) In fact, in the little mud hut where she lives, we found a pile of old things which she has been collecting to give to her sister one day. My friends, people sometimes look at faces of African children or kids in the developing world and think that they are somehow different than our kids - that somehow they don't feel pain or sadness or love. But that is not true. Their pain is deep. And so is their love. I can still remember the nurse trying to convince her that "if someone gives you food Tanzile, you must accept it - even if it is only one piece and not two - for your own health and safety." And it was so hard for us to keep the tears from our eyes as she shook her head defiantly. Her hope and her love was all that she had. It mattered more than anything else. When I returned home that day, I was shocked to find that this was not an isolated story but others in the hospital knew of orphans just like Tanzile - waiting with a little pile of things in their hut, for their sibling or their parent who they haven't seen in so long. I think of that old saying - "when we're hungry, love will keep us alive." I pray that for Tanzile's sake and the other beautiful children like her that it will. Written by Maithri OUR ORPHANS --....OUR RESPOSIBILITY "And they feed, for the love of Allah, the poor, the orphan, and the captive..." [Soorah al-Insaan, 8] Muslims are commanded to behave with courtesy and politeness towards one and all. Kindness to orphans is associated with other segments of society as well,such as parents, relations , needy, neighbours, travellers and others. Allah Ta'ala says: " And worship Allah, and do not join aught with Him: and to parents show kindness and also to kinsmen and orphans and the needy and the near neighbour and the distant neighbour and the companion by your side and the wayfarer and those whom your right hand possesses. Surely Allah does not love the vainglorious and boastful." (Qur'an 4: 36) Muslims are also urged to treat the orphans with kindness and not harshness. Allah Ta'ala says: " Therefore, treat not the orphans with harshness." (Qur'an 93: 9) Best Home Abu Hurairah(R.A.) reported that the Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said: " The Best home of Muslims is one wherein there is an orphan who is treated well; and the worst home of Muslims is one wherein there is an orphan who is treated badly." (Ibn Majah) Cure for Hard Heartedness Abu Hurairah(R.A.) reported that , a man once came to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, and complained that he feels hardness in his heart. The Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, "Would you like that your heart becomes soft and that you acquire what you need ? Be merciful with the orphan, pat his head and feed him from what you eat. This will soften your heart." ( Ahmad) Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'an: " They ask you as to how they will spend. Say whatever you spend of wealth, let it be for parents and kindred and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, and whatever good you do, surely Allah is the Knower thereof." ( Qur'an 2: 215) MAY OUR HEARTS BE SOFTENED. MAY WE RESPOND TO THE CRY AND NEED OF THE ORPHANS. Contact ANY one of the relief organizations that are doing SELFLESS work to help ease any suffering of our orphans. AND SPONSOR AN ORPHAN TODAY!! Courtesy: AL-ISLAAH PUBLICATIONS ========================================================================================================= Speak the Truth even if it is bitter Once during the early days of the British administration, there arose in Kandhla, in the Muzaffarnagar District, a dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims over a plot of land which both of them claimed as their place of worship. The English Collector of the District privately inquired from the Muslims if they could name a Hindu in whose honesty they had full confidence so that the case might be decided on the basis of his evidence. The Muslims said that they knew of no such Hindu. The Collector then asked the Hindus whether there was a Muslim upon whose word they would be willing to let the decision of the dispute be made. The Hindus said that, grave as the matter was, there was a Muslim divine who had never uttered a falsehood and it could be hoped that he would not compromise his integrity over the issue in hand. The divine came from the family of Mufti Ilahi Baksh, who was a pupil of Shah Abdul Aziz and a Khalifa of Saiyid Ahmad Shahid. The Collector, thereupon, summoned him to his court, but he declined saying that he had sworn never to look at the face of an Englishman. The Collector said that he need not look at his face if he did not want to, but come he must, because the matter in dispute was serious and its settlement hung on whether he came or not. At last the Moulana agreed. He came with his face covered with a mask and stood in the court, his back turned towards the Collector so that there could be no possibility of his vow being broken. The case was explained to him and he was asked to state whether he knew anything about the ownership of the plot. The Moulana declared that the plot in dispute belonged to the Hindus, the Muslims had nothing to do with it. The Collector decided accordingly. The Muslims lost the case, but truth scored a magnificent victory. A number of Hindus embraced Islam on that very day at the hand of the Moulana. (Nadwi, Abul Hasan Ali - Islam and the World) Lessons In a hadith the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has encouraged that we should speak the truth even if it might be bitter or displeasing to others. Sometimes we may be deceived in believing that speaking the the truth may lead to problems. In reality speaking the truth leads to goodness and respectability. =========================================================================================================
